Browse Subscribe

Thursday, June 11, 2015

City Council OKs SAPD Plan To Purchase 1,030 Body Cameras

The San Antonio Police Department will apply for a Department of Justice grant that would help it purchase 1,030 body cameras.

The San Antonio Police Department is attempting to rapidly escalate its use of body cameras.

City Council gave the department approval today to apply for a Department of Justice grant that would help it purchase 1,030 body cameras for $1.2 million. San Antonio will match that amount, as required by the grant.

In May, the SAPD received city funding to outfit 10 percent of officers with the technology. That move came just last month during a mid-year budget adjustment when council approved allotting $320,000 for the purchase.

Those cameras will go to 251 officers in the park police or on bike patrol.

City Manager Sheryl Sculley previously said the SAPD has approximately 2,400 officers.

If the DOJ approves the SAPD's application, that brings the total number of body cameras to 1,281 — a little more than half of the entire force.

In a legislative memo (below), the SAPD also says it will seek state-level funding to purchase even more body cameras.